Brighton war veteran and businessman celebrates his 100th birthday

Lewis Taylor has lived in Brighton for the majority of his life, with a few periods away when he was stationed in the Bahamas and when he worked on-board the Queen Mary. 

Lew was born in the East End of London in 1922 but moved to Cavendish Square, Brighton, when he was four years old. 

He attended Varndean Grammar School for Boys until he moved to London to learn a trade before going to university, but his plan was derailed when the war struck. 

During the war, Lew turned 18 and volunteered to join the air force.

L: Lew as a child and his family. R: Lew in his uniform

He said: “I chose the air force because the suits were better.

“I had a very good time, I was very lucky, I was in Coastal Command.

“I was a navigator because I failed as a pilot. 

“I made a mess of it because I tried to land on top of another plane - which is not the custom.”

Lew was based in Canada for a time but ultimately ended up in the Bahamas. 

L: Lew and his sister Rose. R: Lew in the Bahamas

One day Lew was involved in an accident which ended up saving his life. 

He was sitting in the nose of a plane and the hydraulics exploded over him mid-flight, leaving him with several injuries.

Lew said: “So, I ended up in hospital and my crew who I should have been departing with went back to England. 

“All these things, I considered to be bad luck but turned out to be good luck.

“The crew which I tried to get back to, went missing over the channel.

“If that thing hadn’t broken, I wouldn’t be here. I’m very lucky.” 

Lew returned home in 1944 and found himself restless, so he opted to join the Merchant Navy. 

When he was 25, he worked on the Queen Mary ocean liner. 

He was the steward to navigation officers and made several trips back and forth from America to Southampton. 

It was on these trips that Lew developed a rather unusual side-job of smuggling.

He said: “It’s not like I was smuggling drugs or anything.

“The women were short of nylons, so I brought back a lot of nylons. 

“The men liked the shirts and ties and various other little things people were short on. 

“I had a good system going on the Mary.” 

Lew hid his goods in a loose panel in his cabin until he was rumbled. 

Lou and Josie

After his less than legal smuggling activities, Lew returned to Brighton and when he was 29 he married Josie. 

Josie was three years younger and they had known each other as teenagers in the city. 

They had met whilst out dancing at Regent Dance Hall and Sherry’s Dance Hall. 

After meeting Josie once again - either at New Year’s Eve or in the barbers where she did manicuring, Lew cannot quite remember - they married in 1951 and were married for 69 years before she died three years ago.

L: Lew's whole family. R: Lew's grandchildren

Together they had two children, Dave and Susan, and three grandchildren Max, Jessica and Corinne.

Through Josie’s father, who Lew says was “the biggest gambler in Brighton at the time”, and his sister’s husband who was a bookmaker, Lew fell into the world of horse racing.

As well as his betting shops in Castle Square and Western Road, he was the first to bring a sauna to Brighton which led to the creation of the Saunasium with business partner Eden. 

Lew and Josie at the Saunasium

Lew said: “Saunasium is not a word but it was a sauna and a gymnasium, and we had a swimming pool and we had a restaurant, we had table tennis and we had the first whirlpool in Sussex.

“That was in the Grand Parade, it’s still there but under different management now.”

Lew was what he called a “workaholic” and spent decades running the sauna before selling.

It wasn’t until 1997 that he called it quits on the betting shops as well, when he was around 75 years old.

Photos of the whole family.

Later, when he was 83, Lew started working for British Gas, selling gas and electricity.

He said: “I suppose I was still that way inclined, I couldn’t walk about doing nothing.

“I used to tell people it was to get away from the wife, it wasn’t true, we were very fond of each other.”

He finally retired when he was 84. 

Three years prior to Josie’s death, she was diagnosed with dementia and Lew looked after her by himself in their seafront flat, just 100 yards from where he grew up.

Lew's seafront view

Two years ago, due to a blood clot, Lew was forced to have his leg amputated. 

He went into a nursing home following the operation and came out just before the beginning of the pandemic, something he is grateful for.

When asked if Lew had any advice for people on how to get to 100, he laughed and said simply “be lucky”.

He also urged people to eat porridge, which he feels is a vital component to a long life.